It sounds like price point is very important to you. I want to respect that notion, while offering up a couple of observations.

First, all of the reviews I could find on Streem were by consumers, not by any trade journals or professional reviewers. Now, a satisfied customer base can be very compelling, but it would be nice to have SOME impartial validation. Axiom speakers have been favorably reviewed by experts and tradespeople, not just us knuckleheads on the forums.

Second, most of the time, you get what you pay for. Others will argue that with Axiom, you get MORE than what you pay for, and that same thing could be true for Streem as well. But the question you should be asking is, how do I figure out what is the best speaker for me for the amount of money I'm willing to spend? I just don't have enough data about Streem to feel comfortable, and the complete lack of company information on their website doesn't make me feel good either. I mean, there isn't even a phone number there!

Not all speakers are created equal, nor are all internet companies of similar repute.

I love my Axioms, and stories of their exemplary customer service are numerous.

i agree with tom.. there seems to be too many red-flags going up that alert me to be cautious with this streem company.. but, if you have a local store that carries them, go listen and see what you think. it never hurts to get some 'hands on' listening experience.

but, i would remain cautious. dig deep for any professional reviews. the whole "you get what you pay for" could come back to haunt you on this one!!

People who have reviewed Streem's on Audioreview.com and e-Coustics have had very positive things to say about the product and the company's service.

However, since Streem is a new company, I haven't found any professional reviews of their product. I've read the pro reviews on Axiom, and they are excellent. I'm convinced the M60ti's are excellent speakers for the price.

I don't know if I can trust the reviews on Audioreview. If all you ever owned were a cheap pair of Sony's or JBL's, just about anything will sound good to you. I'm looking for some true audiophile advice from someone who has an ear for sound. I can't get that on the Web regarding Streem, or at least I haven't found it yet.

I don't just want good sound. I want GREAT sound, but at an affordable price. I'm looking to upgrade my old, underpowered Onkyo TX-80 to a Harman Kardon 3480, (2 channel A/B receiver with 120 Watts per). This is for music only, not home theatre.

I know the axiom that you get what you pay for. I also know that when it comes to high-end audio, you often pay for more than what you actually get. I've basically narrowed my speaker choices to Axiom and Streem since I want towers with big, crystal clear sound without the need for a sub at a good price (well under $1,000/pair.) I just don't know if Streem is in the same ballpark as Axiom. There aren't enough pro reviews out there yet. That's why I came here.

I listened to some Infinity Beta-50's at my local Circuit City and was extremely underwhelmed by their sound quality. And they wanted full MSRP at $998/pair. That sucks.

If the Streem's are at least comparable to the Axioms in sound quality, I'd be more than happy to pocket the $400. If not, then I'll bite the bullet and buy the M60ti's knowing that I'll most likely be extremely pleased with their sound, if not their price.

That's why I'm looking for people who've heard both. It takes a good ear to judge true value in speaker systems.

Good points. As I said in another post, I'm looking hard for pro reviewers. Haven't found any yet. That's part of my conundrum. I don't know if that's due to the fact that Streem's are too new, the fact that they've been overlooked because no one thinks you can get high quality speakers at that price, or that they just plain suck and the people who bought them don't know it.

Infinity Beta-50's have gotten rave reviews on Audioreview, but when I listened to them in a local chain store, they failed to shine. They sounded O.K. at low volume, and I thought turning them up would reveal better tonality. Didn't happen. They sounded louder, but worse. I was very disappointed since I heard an Infinity bookshelf speaker 15 years ago at another chain store that pumped great sound. It blew me away. What happened to Infinity since then? I guess they went mass market. $998/pair for the Beta's is a total rip-off in my book.

So, yes, I'm very price conscious. Often in audio you pay for more than what you get. I'm not saying that's the case with the M60's. Anything that gets stellar reviews from the pro's is more than O.K. in my book, especially at the prices Axiom's charging. They offer a lot of bang for the buck, no doubt. That's why Axiom has made it down to my final 2. And price is not my highest priority. Sound is.

Some of the reviewers on Audioreview are knowledgeable and state that Streem offers almost unheard of "bang for the buck" in the often over-priced speaker world. I'm just looking for independent confirmation of that fact before I give them a shot.

That's why I'm here, after all. I figure if an Axiom owner could give Streem its due, then it would be worth my time to examine them myself. If not, then I might go with the M60's. They're the safe bet at this point. But the gambler in me won't let me sleep!

A couple of comments: First the ultimate answer will always be how do the speakers sound to you, in your room. This depends on many factors. The music you like, the volume you like, room accoustics, how you set up the room, and what you like. So it will be very difficult to decide between speakers you haven't heard or lived with based on others opinions.

Second, Streem is a new company and they offer next to no information about the engineering of their products. Rather their specs are fairly generic descriptions of the components which sound okay, but aside from not raising red flags, tell you little. Generally good speakers require quite a bit of engineering and testing in their development. Given what is offered on the website and their price, I suspect this is not the case for Streem. I would expect their perfomance to be somewhat uneven. My guess is that you may get pretty good speakers for a pretty good price, but not great speakers for a really good price.

Quote: "My guess is that you may get pretty good speakers for a pretty good price, but not great speakers for a really good price."

That's exactly my worry. However, many reviewers on Audioreview have expressed the exact same initial skepticism as you mentioned, but that their fears were allayed once they got the product in their hands.

Since I'm not ready to buy yet, anyway, I felt some extra pre-purchase research couldn't hurt.

I would recommend auditioning the axioms, even if it is a little strange. I auditioned mine a few months back to a total stranger through this board and it was quite pleasant. We had some coffee, listened to some tunes, and then he went on his way. Listening to these speakers in a willing axiom owner's home will be much less annoying than dealing with pushy/snooty sales people in a high end audio store. And really, if you want to be sure of what you're getting it's worth the hour or so to go and give them a listen.

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[black]-"The further we go and older we grow, the more we know, the less we show."[/black]

That was nice of you. I'm not too opposed to the idea. It's just that I'm not sure I'd be relaxed enough to really appreciate what I'm hearing. Things can sound differently when you're nervous compared to when you're relaxed. And I'd rather play my own music at the volumes I'm used to so that I have a reference to compare the sound to.

I'd probably just buy my own pair first. I might start with the Streem's since they're cheaper and go from there. The problem is I know there will be a strong tendency to keep whichever pair I buy first, and I don't want to make the wrong choice.

Do you know if the person who auditioned yours ended up buying them? And what type are they?

Hey MarkB, I posted a similar question about the same Streem speakers here a couple months ago for a friend who was interested in them.

Long story short, we tried to get a hold of someone from Streem to no avail and couldn't get enough info on them. We live in the Toronto area and Streem is supposed to be in Niagara Falls so we hoped we could drive down (1.3 hours) but couldn't get an address.

I currently own a VP150 and definitely plan to buy M60's and QS8's down the road. I love my center channel and everyone that comes over laughs at the first sight of this huge monster and then say "Man that's nice!"

My buddy liked and wanted the axioms but didn't want to pay the price for everything at once. He also didn't want to build a system, he wanted 5.1 right away.

He wasn't nearly the audiophile then and bought a nice package of athena s5 (I think) and he is now converted. He loves his athena's and for his apartment size and listening levels their a good fit. He knows now though, once he gets his own place he will definitely spend the dough and get some towers and higher quality speakers. Most likely axioms

Good luck in your search and post either way you decide. Who knows, you could be one of the first to find the next great buy (streem) as we all were with axioms to our friends.

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High Gloss CherryM60 VP150 QS8Open for Auditions but please don't drool on the High Gloss

I don't know actually if he ended up buying them. I have m60s, vp150, and qs8s. I didn't find it to be awkward personally. He brought over some cds, I handed him the relevant remotes, and he listened for a while. All in all, I'd do it again without a second thought. So if you're in the Boston area, you can swing by and have a listen if you'd like.

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[black]-"The further we go and older we grow, the more we know, the less we show."[/black]